The Angry Liberal

I'm proud of who I am. People on my side of the fence seem to think that the religious right have the moral majority in this country, as if we cannot be critical of their beliefs. America would like to tell me I'm wrong, and they'd like people like myself to remain quiet, so that we can be mowed over by the unintelligent, uneducated, unenlightened, and dangerous Christian majority. So I stand here today with a clear message; don't just feel that you have to defend your actions - take a lesson from the other side and attack! If there's one thing I have learned from Richard Dawkins, it is that the enlightened simply cannot respect the unenlightened any longer, and we cannot allow things to continue the way they are. Right-wing Christian Republicans sure do know how to put on an attack, both culturally and psychologically. And these people are just flat wrong, so why can't we put together such an agenda?     Are you a staunch atheist? Let people know, be proud of it the way religious people are. Talk to people, challenge their beliefs, educate them, and try to convert them the way the other side does. (Although, that may be difficult as Atheism is, in itself, a contradiction in terms. How do you 'not believe' in something that doesn't even exist?) Do you smoke pot, even occasionally? Then say so! Stand up, be counted, and demand your rights the way that feminists and gays have done. Maybe you're like me, and you're so far to the 'left' that you feel alone in the system. Well I'm here to say that you're not alone, because I am here with you, and my voice will continue to be a loud one.     We've been far too lenient for far too long. It's time for atheists, pot smokers, liberal Democrats, environmentalists, and members of the scientific and academic communities (the 'Liberal Elite' if you will) to quit trying to cater to, sympathize with, or offer respect to our opponent - the delusional religious right. There is no "perspective" on the truth. Global warming is real. Evolution is fact. There is no God. Marijuana should not only not be illegal, but it should be used far more widely. There needs to be more strict government regulation of business, health care, social security, gun control, and education. These are not opinions that have been based off my parents' beliefs and some vague sense of general intuition. These are facts that I have studied and know to be true.     So take charge liberals and don't just question the beliefs of others - attack them! Confront these people with the truth, make them uncomfortable, and ask them to think more deeply. Show people why they are wrong, and if they are too blind to see, dismissing you (as well as science, reason, philosophy, and history) outright, then offer them no respect. Because you certainly are not being, and will not ever be, respected by them.